A new year brings new opportunities. And for web designers, an opportunity and a challenge to employ the latest visual trends and user experience tactics.

But as any web pro knows, web design must do more than look good, and UX is an essential part of the conversion process. Which is why our agency The Deep End wanted to identify which emerging trends could actually make a positive difference for our clients — which is to say, what new trends can be used to help boost conversions?

By providing clients with tools they can use to get more leads, or make more sales in the new year, you’re bringing real value. The kind of value you can charge a premium for.

To that end, here are ten strategies you can use in the new year and beyond to both help clients, as well as gain more new clients through your own site.

1: Age-Responsive Design

Why it converts: Whether you’re trying to reach Gen X, Gen Y (Millennials), Gen Z (the iGeneration), or Baby Boomers, there is power in this tactic. It figures that each generation will respond best to images and aesthetics targeted to them.

And by employing landing page strategy (see #9), you don’t have to devote your entire website to a particular demographic group. Instead, you can use generation-specific images and “feel” in your social media marketing and on landing pages to direct the group or groups of your choice to your offers.

2: Skeleton Screens

Why they convert: Everyone wants speed, and for good reasons. Just a second can make the difference between retaining a web visitor (the first step toward making a conversion) or not.

There are many ways to enhance page loading time, but skeleton screens offer an additional option because impatient users will feel like the page is coming up even faster than a clock might show.

Much of user experience is related to how quickly website pages load, but psychological studies show that subtleties influence people. While the skeleton screen loads, viewers can anticipate content. This reduces impatience, so bounce rates are lower.

3: Engagement Bots

Why they convert: Chatbots aren’t new, but their use has expanded, and they can be incorporated into just about any website to automate response to customer questions and keep the sales process going 24/7.

What can you do with engagement bots? Think of them like a responsive FAQ section. What questions might your customer have before they proceed? Program your bot to be available around the clock to answer those questions, and you’re on track to more conversions.

4: Shopping Cart Marketing

Why it converts: There’s a reason the top online retailers use shopping cart marketing to promote similar products or upsells. Research shows that such promotions can increase e-commerce revenue by 10 to 30 percent.

So if you sell directly, it makes sense to offer bundles of related products — or even unrelated products that might appeal to your shoppers.

5: Animated Call-to-Action Buttons

Why they convert: Prominent CTA buttons are integral to making conversions. Top designers consider size, shape, and placement on the page. But a new trend is to add subtle animation to the CTA button — just enough to attract attention without taking away from the product or other important visuals.

It’s important to keep the animation tasteful and in keeping with the visual look and feel of your site — the movement is just another way to enhance visibility.